zill wrote:I know Kew Boulie is a popular place to train and I have been training there for a few months. Last week on a cool (dry) Sunday afternoon, I posted a time of 23 min and 33 seconds from the Stop sign at the start of Walmer St to the Chandler HWY end and then back to the sign again (one lap). The average speed was 33.4 km/hr. I was riding a medium range road bike with full aluminium wheels.

my best is 22:54 or 34.2 km/h

i race C grade. that's a decent time you got - you would be able to race in club C grade, or lower if you wished. also probably Open C, although you'll always find club A graders lurking and you won't win anything.

btw the guy who has the northbound leg KOM is a strava ambassador, ex-junior national champ and i suspect did it on a road bike. he's worth following on Strava, if just to remind yourself of how much of a hubbard you/we all are in comparison.

What time do you think a typical B grader would get on a normal ride bike?

zill wrote:What time do you think a typical B grader would get on a normal ride bike?

You need to get this concept out of your head. Especially at club level racing, there is a massive variation in skills, fitness and ability within each grade.

1. There is no TYPICAL B-Grader. 'B-Grade' covers a range of fitness levels and riding styles.

- Some people will specialize in crits, road races, TT's, hill climbing etc. etc. - Some people will be in form and riding well, while others will be carrying some extra kg's, haven't ridden for 2 weeks and have been to a bucks night the night before. - Some people got to B-Grade and are now on the verge of being demoted back down to C. Some C graders might win B grade, but haven't been promoted yet.

All would put down very different times along any specific course on any specific day. There is no point in trying to find a point of comparison.

2. There is no real NORMAL ride on a bike (in the mathematical sense yes, but not in the sense I presume you're using). There are too many factors which influence the speed you will put down on any particular ride and, again, there is no point in trying to find a point of comparison.

THE ONLY WAY you will be able to find a point of comparison is to go out with a group of people on a certain day at a certain time and see if you can beat them.

Blackburn TimeTrial on the Boulevard and Hawthorn Good Friday Crits are both in the coming weeks and are on that stretch of road - suggest you give one (or both) of them a whirl so that you can see what we mean!

There is nothing to lose from trying and it's certainly better than wondering how awesome you might be!

well said cerb - agree entirely. as a relatively inexperienced racing cyclist, i am still figuring out my strengths. it seems i'm too big (6'4 and 80kg) to match it with whippets on climbs, and i have no sprinting ability for flat crits. i may be better suited to longer, rolling courses that need some climbing ability but also sustained power on flat, windy sections (at least i hope so). calling yourself "A" or "b" etc. only really works if you so good or so bad that you either excel or suck at everything.

zill wrote:What time do you think a typical B grader would get on a normal ride bike?

You need to get this concept out of your head. Especially at club level racing, there is a massive variation in skills, fitness and ability within each grade.

1. There is no TYPICAL B-Grader. 'B-Grade' covers a range of fitness levels and riding styles.

- Some people will specialize in crits, road races, TT's, hill climbing etc. etc. - Some people will be in form and riding well, while others will be carrying some extra kg's, haven't ridden for 2 weeks and have been to a bucks night the night before. - Some people got to B-Grade and are now on the verge of being demoted back down to C. Some C graders might win B grade, but haven't been promoted yet.

All would put down very different times along any specific course on any specific day. There is no point in trying to find a point of comparison.

2. There is no real NORMAL ride on a bike (in the mathematical sense yes, but not in the sense I presume you're using). There are too many factors which influence the speed you will put down on any particular ride and, again, there is no point in trying to find a point of comparison.

THE ONLY WAY you will be able to find a point of comparison is to go out with a group of people on a certain day at a certain time and see if you can beat them.

Blackburn TimeTrial on the Boulevard and Hawthorn Good Friday Crits are both in the coming weeks and are on that stretch of road - suggest you give one (or both) of them a whirl so that you can see what we mean!

There is nothing to lose from trying and it's certainly better than wondering how awesome you might be!

I agree with your point in 1 and that is why I mentioned specifically a "typical" B grade rider. I had in mind someone that is established in B grade (consistent top fifteen finishes week in week out) but not good enough yet to get into A grade. If someone like that doesn't exist then I'm happy to get 5 or 10 B graders that best fit my description and take their average PB times on the Boulie. I know it's very hypothetical at the moment and that is alright with me since I am currently nowhere near B grade level but want a target in mind.

There was a typo in my previous post the word "ride" should be replaced with "road". Sorry about that. I am aware that one can shave a few minutes off by riding a time trail bike. I wanted to know the times for road bikes only.

To be honest, I am in full training mode at the moment. My weight is too high to optimally compete at the moment. However, I am losing weight to get ready for next summer of racing! There is still many months left. My goal is to get from D to A grade in one season (although really fit enough to be in B grade at the start of the season - I'll start at D grade due to poor bike handling skills and lack of racing experience).

Someone who can ride the Boulevard fast doesn't mean they could race at a high grade or especially win at a high grade. They may have a reasonably high FTP so can ride a distance quickly which will help in TT's but doesn't mean they will respond well to surging.

The fastest or fittest rider mostly never wins the race either. It is tactics and racecraft; knowing which wheel to follow, which attack to chase down and which to leave, how to ride smart and conserve energy saving it for when it counts. You learn this through racing and racing lots. Not by sitting looking at Strava times on a climb or loop such as Kew!

Any results from today's race? Am thinking about having a crack at the Kew TT at some point this year. Have some issues to overcome first. My helmet was bought whilst living O/S and may not pass scrutinising as it doesn't have the Australian Standards sticker on it. Interesting what restrictions exist for a 'race' bike (e.g. no frame pump or saddle bag). And 'plain clothes' only.

riding without an AS-approved helmet is very dangerous - it hasn't been tested for australian conditions i'm disgusted that the commissaires never seem to check for compliance at races. just don't turn up with one of those 'barely there' euro helmets which scream "non-AS compliant"

riding without an AS-approved helmet is very dangerous - it hasn't been tested for australian conditions i'm disgusted that the commissaires never seem to check for compliance at races. just don't turn up with one of those 'barely there' euro helmets which scream "non-AS compliant"

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